If UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier is true to his word, he’ll be retired from MMA competition after March 20th, 2019, the date of his 40th birthday. As recently as his successful heavyweight title defense, Cormier indicated that UFC 235 on March 3rd could be his retirement fight, as he seeks a big payday against former UFC champ Brock Lesnar.
UFC president Dana White, however, isn’t certain that Cormier’s career is wrapping up after just one more fight.
“I don’t know [if Cormier’s next fight will be his last],” White said to TMZ Sports. “We don’t know that either yet. I think Cormier’s got a couple left in him.”
When asked if a rematch would be on the table for one of Cormier’s last bouts, White expressed interest in making a trilogy bout between DC and Jon Jones, but for the heavyweight title.
“I hope so,” said White. “That was what I would like. Obviously I would like to see Jones and Cormier fight again at heavyweight but right now, Cormier’s team wants him to retire right now. They want him to retire right now. I hope we can get three more fights out of him.”
Jones defeated Cormier at UFC 182 in what stands as his most recent title defense, then knocked Cormier out in the rematch at UFC 214, only to have the result flipped to a no-contest after testing positive for turinabol. He has since wrapped up his reduced USADA suspension and will have his own rematch vs. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232, for the vacant light heavyweight title. Cormier holds that belt for now, but once Jones and Gustafsson are in the cage and the fight gets underway, Cormier loses one of his titles.
While White wants to see the two fierce rivals go at it one more time, there’s evidently mutual agreement between Jones and Cormier that they don’t need to fight each other anymore.
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